Bad Day
by CaptainSparrow09
Summary: Tim's not having such a good day.


Disclaimer: I own anyone you don't realize and everyone else belongs to Anthony Zuiker. I also don't own a line that Tim says in here.

A/N: 3 years after A Big Mistake II

-------S/C------

"That's it then." Tim said, surveying the dorm room. Jen nodded and Tim pulled her into a tight hug.

"Dad, I'm a half hour away." she sighed, hugging him back. "Be happy I moved back to Miami."

"Yeah. I have to go back to work. Call me if you need anything."

"I will." Jen kissed his cheek. "Thanks for helping me Dad."

"Not a problem." Tim muttered. "You know, any time you want to come home..."

"I think I'll be fine here but I'll keep that in mind."

-------S/C------

Tim picked moodily at his food and Calleigh sighed.

"Tim..."

"I'm fine." he muttered. "Just tired."

"Mhmm."

"I never noticed how big the house was." Tim said, eyeing the kitchen. Calleigh rolled her eyes.

"You are just upset because Jen moved into her dorm." she said. "And Nicky is eating at Jimmy's."

"That's not true."

"Yes it is."

"No it's not."

"Yes it is."

"No it's not!" Tim exclaimed.

"Honey, they are going to grow up one day. We went through this when Abbie moved into her dorm. We will go through it when Nicky moves into his dorm." Calleigh said as the phone rang. Tim grabbed it and turned it on.

"Hello?"

"Hey Dad!"

"Hey sweetheart. What's going on?"

"Not much. Are you and Mom busy?"

"Just eating a lonely dinner." Tim replied as Calleigh scoffed at him.

"Oh. Want some company?"

"Sure. When can you get here? Preferably before your mother kills me."

"Actually I'm in the car on my way over."

"Okay. I'll leave the door unlocked."

"Okay. See ya in a few minutes." the phone went dead. Tim replaced the phone on the counter and looked at Calleigh.

"It was Abbie. She's coming over."

"Oh." Calleigh finished her dinner and stared at her husband. "Are you going to eat?"

"I'm not really hungry." Tim replied, wrapping the dish up. "I'll eat later."

The front door opened and Abbie's cheerful voice called out.

"I'm here!"

Tim eagerly exited the kitchen to meet his daughter and stopped. Abbie was not alone. Standing next to her was Zack Miller. Tim didn't really like Zack.

"Zack! I didn't know you were coming!" Calleigh exclaimed, embracing the young man. Tim just stood near the doorway of the living room, a scowl stamped on his face. Abbie tried to grin and bare it and rushed over to Tim, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Hi Daddy."

"Hi." Tim hugged her back but kept on staring at Zack, who looked rather uncomfortable.

"Uh... Hello M-Mr. S-Speedle." Zack stumbled over his words, extending his hand slowly.

"Zachary." Tim shook his hand stiffly and quickly released it. Abbie gave Calleigh a look, who quickly ushered them all into the living room.

"So... what's going on?" Calleigh asked. Abbie and Zack exchanged a glance. Tim didn't like that look. Something was obviously up.

"Did you get my daughter pregnant?" he accused, glaring over at Zack. The 21-year-old quickly paled.

"Dad!" Abbie screeched.

"Tim!" Calleigh hissed.

"No, sir." Zack mumbled. Abbie placed a comforting hand on his thigh and Tim looked over at Calleigh, who looked severely pissed at him.

'What?' he mouthed.

'Stop it.' she mouthed back and looked back at her daughter and Zack, who was slowly losing his coloring.

"Zack, are you all right?" Calleigh asked, a concerned tone in her voice. He nodded. Ever since he had started dating Abbie back when they were sophmores in college and had met Tim, Zack had been afraid of the criminalist. He would probably never forget what the older man had said to him.

"_Dad, this is Zack Miller." Abbie said. Then after a pause added, "He's my boyfriend." _

_Tim stared at the new couple and blinked._

"_If you ever give my daughter an alcoholic beverage or a joint, I will hunt you down and neuter you." Tim finally said. _

Little did Zack know, Tim had severely been punished after his little comment but the young man was still afraid of his girlfriend's father.

"So if you're not pregnant then what's going on?" Tim asked, staring at his daughter. Abbie looked over at Zack and smiled, then looked back at Tim.

"Um... Zack,"

Tim sighed loudly already. Any time a sentence that came out of Abbie's mouth that started with the word, 'Zack' Tim had a bad feeling.

"You don't even know what I'm going to say!" Abbie exclaimed.

"Well tell us honey before your father goes into cardiac arrest." Calleigh said, resting a hand on Tim's back.

"How did Jen do? Did she get settled in all right?" Abbie asked.

"Abigail, don't change the subject." Tim said through clenched teeth.

"Zack asked me to marry him." she mumbled. Calleigh squealed and rushed over, hugging her daughter tightly, then repeated the gesture to her future son-in-law.

-----------S/C-----------

An hour later, Tim still just sat there, a look of shock plastered to his face. Zack had long gone home, at Calleigh's warning and Abbie and Calleigh were beginning to get worried.

"Daddy, please say something."

"No." Tim finally said, voicing what his mind had been screaming. "No. You're not."

"Tim..." Calleigh started but Abbie cut her off.

"And why not?"

"Because you're only 20!" Tim exclaimed. "You're not an adult yet, meaning you are still my responsibility and dammit I'm your father and I said no! I shouldn't have to give you an explanation!"

"I turned 21 two weeks ago!" Abbie said. "And you can get married once you turn 18!"

"I don't care. You're still too young to get married! Look at your mother! She was 27 when we got married."

"So? That was like... 20 years ago!"

"So? People wait a while before getting married. What happened to you just wanting to go to college and be on your own for a while?" Tim asked. "I thought you didn't want to get married."

"Since when?" Abbie asked, an incredulous tone in her voice.

"That's not the point!" Tim spluttered. "He didn't even ask me if he could marry you! I asked your grandfather if I could marry your mother!"

"He didn't ask you because he knew you would've said no! You know what, I don't care what you think!"

"Excuse me?"

"I'm an adult. I live in my own apartment. I have my own job. I make my own decisions. I don't need you telling me what to do!" Abbie jumped off the couch and rushed upstairs, to her old bedroom.

"Please tell me you agree with me." Tim said.

"I think you're being a total bastard." Calleigh said. "So no I don't agree with you Timothy."

"Calleigh, she's just a kid. She's inexperienced."

"Tim, you don't know anything about her then."

"She tells me everything!"

"Oh she doesn't tell you anything!" Calleigh laughed. Tim stared at her incredulously.

"Really? Like what?"

"Like she had her first kiss a week after she came back to us. Remember Jimmy Baker, the kid who used to live down the street? You thought he was a good boy? He made out with her in the back of your Tahoe."

"WHAT?"

"Um... let's see... she lost her virginity when she was seventeen, at the junior prom."

"You weren't even around then! That was after you went into the program! She didn't even have a boyfriend!" Tim yelled.

"Again, Jimmy. After their little make-out fest, they dated for a year." Calleigh said calmly.

"So then... who did she tell and go to?"

"Valera. Abbie doesn't tell you these things because she knows you go berserk. Remember our conversation from before, that our kids are growing up?"

Nicky burst through the front door and quickly over to the phone, which coincidentally rang.

"Eight thirty? Hold on." Nicky pulled the phone away from his ear and looked at Tim. "Dad, can you drop me off at the movies?"

"Drive yourself." he said sulkily.

"I'm thirteen."

"Who are you going with?"

"Jessica McCormack."

"What the hell is with you people?" Tim bursted. "No! You're not going!"

"Are you going through a mid-life crisis?" Nicky asked.

"No! He's not!" Abbie yelled from the stairs. "He's just mad because I'm getting married. And you know what? I think I'll go get married right now!"

"No one is marrying anyone!" Tim exclaimed. Nicky slowly pulled the phone back to his ear.

"Jess? I think I'm gonna have to take a rain check."

"No. Tell Jessica you'll meet her." Calleigh said. "I'll drive you."

A door slammed upstairs and Tim dropped his head between his knees. Calleigh rubbed his back sympathetically.

"Go talk to Abbie. I'll take Nicky to the movies." she said. Tim hesitantly nodded but waited until Calleigh and Nicky left to go upstairs. He knocked slowly on the closed door and was greeted with silence. He opened the door and saw Abbie sitting on her bed, a scowl on her face.

"Honey..."

"I don't want to talk to you."

"I can understand that." Tim said, sitting next to Abbie. "I can be an ass sometimes huh?"

"We finally agree on something." she muttered. "Why don't you like him?"

"It's not that I don't like him." Tim said slowly. "I don't want to come to terms with the fact that you and Jen and Nick are growing up and going your own ways.

"Nicky's still here." Abbie pointed out. Tim waved her off.

"He's got some girl down at the movies and is probably going to get kicked out for making out."

"Now why don't you care that Nicky is involved with someone?"

"Because he's my boy." Tim replied. "And I'm serious. I've been lucky with Jen. She hasn't had a boyfriend that's serious yet. With Nick, I get to encourage him and let the girlfriend's dad worry about their relationship and your mom too. She frets over everything. But with you, it's different."

He let out a big sigh and looked over at Abbie, who was waiting patiently.

"You know how your mom gets over Nicky and her, 'oh he's my little boy' garbage?"

Abbie nodded, knowing where this was going.

"Well, you're my little girl and the thought of you getting married... I don't want to think it will happen. When I met Zack, I worried that he'd be the one you'd marry and now you are. He's a good kid though. I have to give him a little more credit I suppose." Tim finished. Abbie had a small smile on her face.

"So you're not mad?"

"No." Tim pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head. "Just... upset that you're leaving me."

"Dad, I'm not really going anywhere."

"No but another guy is gonna be taking care of you." Tim muttered. He had worried about this day for the past twenty-one years. Even though fourteen years when Abbie hadn't been there, he still thought about her and worried about her marrying some bum. Abbie laughed lightly and hugged Tim tightly.

"I still love you Daddy."

And suddenly, Tim thought that was just what he needed to hear.

"Can you please call him and tell him you're not going to kill him?" Abbie asked. Tim nodded and took the proffered phone from his daughter. He waited and held back a sigh, hearing Zack come on the phone.

"Yeah Zack, it's uh... Tim. Tim Speedle, Abbie's father... no I'm not threatening you with murder."

Abbie giggled and listened to her father's side of the conversation.

"No. You can..." Tim sighed, "marry her."

Calleigh stood outside the door listening and smiled, knowing how hard it was for Tim. But he was going to have to get over it. She opened the door and smiled.

"I feel like wedding planning." she said. Abbie squealed happily and jumped over Tim towards her mother. Tim smiled half heartedly and followed two of his favorite girls downstairs. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad...

the end


End file.
